Luffy landed next to Zoro as Nami's footsteps hurried down the stairs. The three of them peered over the ship's railing, noticing a pirate ship sailing toward them. How had they missed it before... Well, it wasn't entirely unexpected. Everyone on the Merry was engrossed in their own activities...
"You two will deal with them," Nami said, indifferently walking up the stairs to her chair. She'd seen Zoro and Luffy take on a giant wolf... What were they, a couple of insignificant pirates?
Sanji rushed out of the kitchen. "Nami! I got your food! I made you a strawberry parfait! It must be delicious in this sunshine!" he exclaimed, running downstairs and tossing the items they had requested to the others.
Luffy leaped without looking and swiveled his head at the last second to snatch a large chunk of meat with his mouth. He had exceptional instincts, and he was even better with food. He landed softly and began chewing his snack while anxiously watching the ship that had fired on them.
Zoro raised his hand and grabbed an unopened bottle of sake. "You didn't do anything weird to this, did you?" the swordsman asked, half-jokingly.
Sanji scoffed at the green-haired man's words: "I wish, Mossball..." He ignored the mark that appeared on Zoro's forehead and looked over the railing: "Looks like they're getting closer, Luffy. The first one was probably just a warning shot." The blond man glanced at Luffy and could see only one thing in his eyes: excitement. He smiled and headed up the stairs to Nami. "Here you go, Nami," Sanji said reverently, bending down to hand the girl her snack.
"Thank you, Sanji," she replied, reaching out to take the parfait from the chef. She looked at him mischievously. "Will you sit with me while I enjoy it?"
Blood trickled from Sanji's nose, but he quickly stopped it. He wanted nothing more than to say yes and see Nami eat the food he'd prepared for her. Especially because of what she was wearing... He reluctantly turned away from the orange-haired beauty, his expression heartbreaking the whole way. "I'm sorry, my Nami-swan. But this time I must refuse." He glanced at the pirate ship that was steadily approaching before turning back to her and smiling. "I have to prove I can be useful while I'm here." He turned and started down the stairs, grinning smugly. "And not just as a cook."
Nami's eyes widened. Was he saying he knew how to fight? She'd asked him to sit with her because she thought he was just a cook... It remained to be seen, but the way he spoke... It made her think Sanji might be strong too. Like Luffy and Zoro. Either that, or he was overconfident. She hoped it was the former. She certainly wasn't going to mind another strong person trying to help her.
The ship was finally within range of the Merry, and the enemy wasted no time in attacking. Three cannons fired one after the other, hurling deadly iron shells directly at the three teenagers on deck.
"It's time to have some fun, lads," said Luffy, tossing his meat bone into the water and grinning as he watched the cannon fire approach him and his friends, "I've got the middle one."
Zoro smiled as he drew Wado and Kitetsu: "I have this one, here on the right."
Sanji sighed as he lit his cigarette and took a drag, tapping the deck with the toe of his right shoe. "I guess I'll stick with the left one."
Luffy watched the cannonball approach and couldn't help but think it was rather slow... The Forest Boy had been much faster. The boy extended his hand in front of him, palm open. He still couldn't use Haki, so what he was planning would probably hurt a bit. It would be easy if he could at least use the enhancement.
It was hard to explain, but every time he used Armament Haki, it felt like right after his fight with the Forest Boy, only with the fractures. It just made him feel... exhausted. Exhaustion didn't usually last long, a couple of hours or so, but it had been almost a month since their fight! How long would this Haki-induced exhaustion episode last?
Luffy kept his eyes fixed on the cannonball as it struck his palm, bracing himself for the inevitable pain. After feeling the impact, the straw-hatted teenager's eyes widened. His hand... It didn't hurt... Not at all... He slid back a couple of meters from the projectile's force, but stopped dead in his tracks, staring in amazement at his hand gripping the smoking iron ball. He didn't think he could have done it without getting hurt. How could his body be so robust without Haki?
'The reason he stops using Armament Haki is that he's adapting. '
The words flashed through the raven-haired man's mind as if from nowhere, yet they made everything click. His body was adapting. It was growing stronger, allowing him to use more Armament Haki. Luffy couldn't help but burst into laughter as he launched the cannonball in his hand. Everything made more sense. He glanced between the iron ball and the approaching ship, his laughter growing louder. He recalled some stories of Garp the Hero as he tested the weight of the cannonball in his hand. Grandpa was a big fan of showing off... especially to his grandchildren...
Zoro smiled as he drew his katanas, watching the approaching cannonballs with the same thought as his future captain: "Slowly..." His muscles bulged as he crossed his arms. He'd never cut metal before, but what did it matter? Wado and Kitetsu vibrated violently in his hands, and a voice with three different tones echoed in his mind: "Cut . "
The swordsman gripped his blades tightly and slashed with all his might. The blades struck the equator of the iron sphere and sliced through the solid metal as if it were butter. The two pieces of iron they had created flew past the verdet's head and over the opposite railing of the boat, falling into the water on the other side.
Sanji's blond hair cast a shadow over his usually visible eye. How dare they...? How dare they endanger his goddess? He felt his body growing hotter and hotter. The flames... burned brightly. His foot began to pound the ground harder. He would keep his Nami-Swan safe... all for her love and praise! Without a second thought, the chef ducked and launched himself upward. The cannonball flew toward him, and he struck the projectile with his foot as he soared through the air, sending it plummeting into the ocean.
The blond teenager landed softly on the deck of the Merry and felt a twinge in the top of his right foot, testing his weight. Determining it was nothing serious, as far as he could see, he shrugged. Probably just a small bruise... What?... He had strong feet! Sanji sighed to himself and watched how the other two had handled their balls.
The enemy ship's crew scrambled to reload all three cannons. Had what they'd seen been real? One boy caught one... A CANNONBALL! Another sliced one... A solid iron CANNONBALL! And the last one... He kicked it... He kicked A CANNONBALL! The captain was so shocked by the turn of events that he didn't even have the sense to order a retreat. He could only stare at the deck of the lamb-headed ship he thought would be easy prey, literally stunned.
"Luffy?" Sanji asked, watching the straw-hatted teenager relax his right shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?" They didn't really have time to stretch; the pirates were sure to fire another volley soon.
Zoro looked away from the enemy ship for a moment to curiously glance at his future captain after hearing the cook's words.
"I used to hear stories about a guy who could launch a cannonball faster than any cannon," Luffy explained, throwing his arm back and gripping the iron ball tightly. He grinned at his friends and laughed, "I always thought it was funny." The straw hat boy's arm shot out into the air with a small crack, and he launched the iron projectile toward his attackers. "So I thought I'd give it a try."
...
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